


throwing stones at a glass moon

by capmackie



Series: sambucky week ‘19 [5]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Sambucky Week '19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 06:00:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21192725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capmackie/pseuds/capmackie
Summary: Centered in the middle of the yard, sits Main Hall, housing the university’s sizable auditorium and this year’s Science and Engineering Fair. The stone and brick edifice boasts a tower, arched ceilings, drawing on elements right out of the fairytales Bucky once read when he was younger, a time when he believed in things like Prince Charming’s and happily ever afters.—written for day vii of sambucky week 19 — free for all





	throwing stones at a glass moon

“Look alive team”, Bucky announces in a terrible attempt at a ‘teacher voice’ — shrill and unnecessarily chipper, nothing how he sounds on a regular day, “welcome to Marion University!”

The bus grinds to a halt on the college grounds, stopping completely as the institution comes to full view. As far as the eye can see, Gothic structures and immaculately tamed green expanses are in abundance — it’s an oasis adjacent to the city, rich in splendor and architecture.

Centered in the middle of the yard, sits Main Hall, housing the university’s sizable auditorium and this year’s Science and Engineering Fair. The stone and brick edifice boasts a tower, arched ceilings, drawing on elements right out of the fairytales Bucky once read when he was younger, a time when he believed in things like Prince Charming’s and happily ever afters.

Deboarding with his students, ignoring Peter’s jabs about his, _ahem_ “fake ass teacher voice”, Bucky tightens his overnight bag over his shoulder, taking a moment to bask in the beauty of the university before turning to his third-period science class. They’re a ragtag group of kids, made up of different backgrounds and ethnicities, some introverts, some extroverts, and whatever the hell MJ is.

While all quite different, what they do have in common is snark, something Bucky — Mr. Barnes, is usually on the receiving end of.

Oh, and they’re all smart. Smart as fuck actually.

Which brings them to Marion University for the preliminary round of the New York Science and Engineering Fair. After six different project ideas, countless hours of drafting and redrafting their proposal, a “complete lack of social life” — Steve’s words not his own — Brooklyn High was back in the big leagues, ready to compete.

“Bring it in team”, Bucky says, thankfully opting to forgo the teacher’s voice, placing his hand in the middle of the quasi-circle they’re in. The group follows suit until all nine students have their hands on top of Bucky’s.

“Take us home MJ!”

With a blink and you miss it smile, MJ, team captain, starts the chant — some pop culture reference Bucky’s too old to know.

On the count of three, they’re breaking and heading to the Hall.

——

After checking-in to both the hotel and the fair, Bucky lets the group split up with promises to meet back later.

While here to compete, to redeem themselves from coming up just short in last year’s competition, Bucky wants the kids to just be kids for a moment. To be tourists in their own city, let them explore what New York has to offer outside of their borough.

They deserve it.

The project’s in, the theory has been submitted, the last item on the agenda is to present their findings. _A piece of cake._ His team has worked their asses off and nothing can take that away from them.

With that, Bucky wants the group to enjoy themselves, knows they won’t get in _too _much trouble, and by extension, he wants to enjoy himself a bit too.

He’s seated at the hotel bar, nursing something dark and strong, absentmindedly watching whatever’s games playing, when someone clamps a hand on his shoulder, grabbing his attention.

It’s Sam fuckin’ Wilson.

“_Bunky_!”, Sam greets, intentionally fucking up Bucky’s name, as if his sole purpose in life is to bother the man.

“It’s Bucky actually”, he replies coolly, “James to you.”

Sam feigns hurt, removing his hand from Bucky’s shoulder to clutch at his own chest dramatically.

“I thought we were friends _Bucky_”, Sam continues, eyes alight with joy as he sees the other teacher clench his jaw at the use of the nickname. “Why so formal?” 

“My friends call me Bucky, and you are not my friend.”

“I’m hurt Buck”, Sam retorts, turning to the barkeep, ordering a drink for himself. “Honestly and truly hurt, however can I go on?”

With Sam placing his drink order, Bucky gets a chance to really take the other man in. He’s still every bit of annoying as he’s always been, every bit of handsome as well. The gray button-down doing wonders for his build, the navy slacks accentuating his ass perfectly as well.

Sam looks good and he knows it too, apparently knows Bucky thinks so too if the suggestive smile he gives the other teacher is any indication, wearing confidence and cockiness equally.

On anyone else, it would come across as braggadocio but on Sam, it’s charming.

But Bucky would never admit that.

Bucky’s pretty self-aware, he’d like to think. Knows the reason Sam gets so deep under skin is because he has a dormant crush on the guy. Knows the banter between them frustrates him in more ways than one.

For as long as Bucky knew of Mr. Wilson, the science teacher over at Visions Academy, he’s disliked him for just as long. Any scientific competition that took place in the city, Sam and his team of preppies were there and usually coming out of it victorious.

Next to Bucky, stood the sole reason why his team didn’t take the number one spot in the fair last year, the reason why they worked so damn hard this year.

“Glad to see you back here man”, Sam starts, closing his tab and sitting next to Bucky. “Didn’t think you’d show your face after last year’s defeat.”

And that is exactly why those feelings of his will stay dormant — Sam’s an asshole.

Giving the barkeep his room number to charge the drink to his room, Bucky makes way to leave and find his students, ignoring Sam’s attempts to call out to him.

—

“Change of plans team”, Bucky says, clapping his hands together. “I know I told you guys to just go out there and give it your best but that’s not going to work anymore.”

“I need you to go out and kick some ass.”

—

The preliminary rounds go by quickly, Brooklyn High impressing the judges at every turn.

Bucky’s in a great mood, his group, all so unique, banding together, pulling off amazing presentation after amazing presentation. He’s all so proud of them and he almost would be content if they didn’t win, just the fact that they’ve made it so far and did so well_ and _—

And apparently, Vision Academy is doing just as well, having been announced as the first group to make it to the final round. There’s whoops and hollers coming from the team and in the middle of it, Bucky can see Sam, smiling and enjoying the revelry with his students.

There’s a piece of him that wants to be upset that once again, Sam and his team are going to the championship round, that they’re still every bit as good as last year — maybe even better,_ a sobering thought_. The idea that the road to victory still must go through Visions, must go through his rival should make him hunger for defeating Sam more.

But strangely, Bucky hungers for something else.

He hungers to see Sam smile like this, wide and open and _bright_ more, hungers to be the reason that smile is on Sam’s face at all. Bucky hungers for Sam to direct that smile to him, lay it — with all of its intensity — on him, wants to bask in the warmth it emits.

Before he can try to get a grasp on these _new_ feelings, he’s being jostled by Peter. So deep in his own fantasy, Bucky hadn’t even heard that his team qualified for the final spot in the championship round.

—

The night before the final presentation, Bucky’s with his students giving his best and most rousing speech, ensuring them that despite whatever happens tomorrow, they’re still winners in his eyes.

“So not actual winners then?”

…

_Damn it Peter._

—

Turns out, Visions Academy is indeed a stronger team than what they were last year.

And while Brooklyn High brought their best, it still wasn’t enough to win it all.

Morose in a way he hadn’t even been after the accident that took his left arm, Bucky’s finding it hard to motivate his team when he, himself is feeling so damn _defeated._

He knows it would be in the best interest to say something, anything to lift morale but time heals all wounds and a moment to decompress might have a greater effect than whatever clichés he could think to spout.

Rallying around his team, watching as they rally around each other, comforting one another in this dark moment lifts his spirits though. Over the past year, he’s watched them learn to work together as a team and he’s proud to see them lose together as one too.

“We always have next year,” MJ says, hopeful and determined, a steel resolve to her words that leaves no room for arguments.

Brooklyn High will indeed be back to compete next year.

—

There’s a knock at his door following his departure from his students and a quick stop to the hotel bar again.

Convinced it’s someone from his group, Bucky shucks the door open and is unpleasantly surprised to see Sam Wilson instead.

“If you’re here to rub your victory in, let me save you the trouble.”

What Bucky expects is to see the cocky smirk he’s grown accustomed to seeing on the other’s man face. Expects to see some kind of smugness at crushing Brooklyn High two consecutive years.

What he actually gets surprises him.

In a moment, shock and confusion flit across Sam’s face, before settling into a frown. It’s a foreign look on the man’s face, strange and out of place.

“No man, of course not”, Sam sputters out. “Why would I do something as dickish as that?”

“Maybe because you’re a dick?”

“If that’s what you think of me, maybe I should just leave.”

Before he can stop himself, Bucky’s reaching out and grabbing Sam’s arm, effectively stopping him from making his exit.

“That’s not what I think of you, I’m sorry.”

He follows Sam’s line of sight, watches as Sam looks to his arm which Bucky still has a hold of, absentmindedly rubbing circles into the smooth skin.

Bucky removes his hand, dropping it back at his side, missing the contact almost immediately.

“Look, I just want to say your team did a helluva job up there”, Sam says, a small smile on his face.

“If there was anyone I’d rather lose to, it would’ve been you.”

Maybe it’s the way Sam says it, forward but earnest. It could be the way he looks when he says it, softly, with the barest hint of a blush creeping through. Or maybe it’s just the fact that Sam is right here, as vulnerable as Bucky’s ever seen him that makes the older man pull him into a searing kiss.

He doesn’t know why he kissed the other teacher, but once Sam parts his lips, letting Bucky deepen the kiss and pull him closer, Bucky knows that this is the only thing he wants for the rest of his days.

Just this embrace, just the man in front of him.

Losing the competition is still fresh in mind but the hurt lessens now that he’s won something greater.

**Author's Note:**

> first time i've ever participated in something like this and i'm so glad i did. writer's block made me its bitch but i'm back (i think).
> 
> @capmackie


End file.
